Difficult Passages of the Bible

All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to the sufficient understanding of them. (The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, 1.7)

The above quotation sums up in one very long sentence the Christian belief about the content of Scripture.

Scripture contains all things we need to know with regard to salvation: the nature of man, his need for a savior, God’s plan of salvation, and his provision of that savior.
These things can be seen plainly and don’t require advanced degrees or interpretive skills beyond that which is common to all people.
There are some things in Scripture, however, that are not as plain, and require a bit more work. These are no less God-breathed, and grappling with them is a valuable and edifying venture. However, we don’t need to come to agreement or complete understanding of these things.

The following passages are ones that many often find troublesome for one reason or another. Sometimes, normal interpretive techniques (looking at the context, following an argument, etc.) can shed light. Other times, we need to dig deeper into the original languages or the culture and history of the time. And there are some that, frankly, will continue to baffle us this side of Eternity. Nevertheless, since this is God’s Word, studying these passages can’t help but be profitable (2 Timothy 3:16).